Confection-coating apparatus



April 29, 1930. J. PlccoLo ET AL CONFECTION COATING APARATUS Filed May 2l, 1927 Patented Apr. 29, 1930 UNITED STATES JOSEPH PICCOLO AND JOHN- VILLANO, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CONFECTIN-COATING .APPARATUS Application filed May 21,

This invention relates to confection coating apparatus and more particularly is drected to improvements in the apparatus for feeding the uncoated product to the coating machine.

In the handling of cut candy bars, and the like before admission to the enrober of confection coating' machinery, particles of the materialv usually adhere to the cut bars' and are carried therewith into-the enrober to be washed by the coating material down into the reservoir from which the' coating supply is pumped. The particles together with the coating material are deposited upon the cutbars, thus producing an unevenly appearing coat. Strainers have been employed to removev these particles but these have proved ineffective and inefficient, and it* is the object of this invention to provide a practical construction whereby thev necessity for the use of strainers is obviated by eliminating the possibility of the entrance of the dbris into the apparatus'.

Another object of this invention is to simplify the delivery means of candy coating apparatus in order to eliminate akmultiplicity of supports and adjusting` means therefor.

A further objectV of the invention is to provide an arrangementv of the feeding mechanism for'the candy coating machine and the machine itself whereby the operation of the machineitself' is made more' efficient with resultant improvement in the produce over products of'machines heretofore in use.

An additional purpose of the -devi'ce' is to provide means to prevent the introduction of impurities ordinarily found in the bath of coating material in such coating machines.

Other obj eots of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter'pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features ofr construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplied in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scopef-.of'application will bel indicated in the following claims.

In the: accompanying drawing, in whichv is 1927. serial No. 193,213.

shown one of theA various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention, y

Fig. 1 isA side elevation of an embodiment of the invention, withportions broken away; A y

Fig. 2 is a plan of coating apparatus and 55 the associated delivery belt therefor; and

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of thecenrober', viewed from line 3-1-3. Y

On the drawings, lgindicates the candy Y coa-ting apparatus generally' known as the 53 enrober having walls 10, 10b and 10 towhich the candy' is fed by anv automaticV feed table 211" including the conveyor belt 111 driven' by an assemblage of' pulleys and gears 12", well" knownin the artandl not forming any part of this invention. This assemblage' derives its power from a shaft 13, which is connected directly to the shaft 14k driving the moving parts of the enrober hereinafter y described.

In the enrober 10 is provided the-customary foraminat'ed or perforated belt 15, generally of wireA construction, which'Y receives the candy or other material to be coated 'and carries; it past the curtain of' chocolate Yor 7'5" other coating material produced byl means not shown. Excess ofthe chocolate drains down through the belt to a reservoir 16* of the ordinary construction in which is placed an agitator 17 of the type generally usedvfor S0 I i thisfpurpose. y

Conveyor belt 11 is provided atthe delivery end19 thereof with the customary bar 18 over which the belt passes for deliveringthe material to be coated directly to the perf-orated belt 15 of the enrober. For allowing proper positioning of the said delivery end 19, a leveling screw 20 is provided for bar 18, the end ofthe screw 20 bearing against an eX- tension 21 on bracket 22 which is iXedly attached to the enrober 10. For shifting the horizontal position of the belt 11, the adjusting screw 23 is associated with a iixedpoint on the table 24 carrying the belt 11.l By means 95 of the upturned arm 25 made a part of theV bar 18, the position of bar 18 with respect to the belt 15 may be fixed.. For the tail pulley 26 of the assemblage'12 a tension adjustingdevice 27 vis supplied. to allow adjust- 100 point of entrance drive that supplies power t-o shaft 14. From pulley 14a, the lower section 15a of belt 15 passes under roller 82 supported'in a manner hereinafter described and then through opening 29 formed in end wall 10a of the enrober which end wall terminates below the belt level. 'Bracket 22 is located'immediatelybelow opening29 and carries bea-rings 22L for lze roller 80. From roller 82, the belt after passing out of the enrober through ,opening` 29 travels over roller 80. .Y Y From roller 80, the upper section of the belt travels to the station where the coating mate- Vrial is applied, at which stationv the belt is supportedin the customary manner upon the two rollers 28. From rollers'28 the belt travels over idler 48 and thence over end pulley 14a.

The roller forjbelt .15 and bar 18 are so relatively adjustedthat a space'S is provided therebetween sufcient to allowl any particles riding on belt 11 with the'cut bars, or loosely adhering to the bars themselves, to fall down and away from belt 15 to be received in receptacle 49 or other means provided for the collection thereof. y

In order to keep the perforated belt 15 under proper tension, the belt tightener assemblies 81 are provided in which roller 82-is rotatably carried by links 88, one at each end of the roller 82, each lever being pivoted in a bearing84 in the wall ofthe enrober or at some other fixed point. Connected rotatably at 85 to link 88 is a plungerarm 86 carrying at its extreme end a presser end 87 reciprocatingwithin a hollow cylinder 89 which is pivotally connected at a lixedl bearing point 40 on theenrober 10. Compressed between presser end 87 and a bushing 41 adjustably connected to cylinder 89 is a spring 42 ordinarily tending to force end 87 toward bearing point 40 and thereby move roller 82 ina clockwise direction (see Fig. 1) to Ycontact with belt 11 and thereby place it in tension.

The idler 48 ordinarily provided 'for the enrober belt 15 in this construction is Vextended through one wall of the enrober 10, as

Vshown at 44 and by means of a sprocket wheel 45 liXed'to said extension, aV positive Vchain drive forjroller 8O is assured through the coacting chain 46 and a sprocket 47 fixed Yto an extension of the roller 80. By mea-ns of this construction, an even displacement of the belt between the roller 80 and idler 48 is assured. The idler 48 thus'constitutes` a tightening roller.

The lower section 15a of the perforated belt 15 travelingtoward rol-ler 81 receives the drainage of coating material fromabove and to proper size is received upon the conveyor belt 11 and carried to delivery end 19 which has previously been adj usted by means of levelling screw 20,"the horizontal adjusting screw 28and the adjusting device 27 to bring l thev discharge end of belt 11 in proper relation to the perforated belt15. At the delivlivery end 19, the material to be coated slides over the space'there provided, onto belt l5 and is then carried into the enrober where v the proper coating materialis pumped, Vor

allowed to pour down upon the candy. EX- cess coating material drains back to reservoir 16V over the belt 15, as it movestoward roller 80. Plate 48 carries backto reservoir 16 any of the coating material which' fails to drain through belt 15 before it passes out of the enrober. Y Y

It is a well known fact in the art that the grinding action of the particles carried over intothe moving parts of the machine is tremendous, especially where Ycoatingsv having sugar as :one of their components is used. The crystals of sugar are very abrasive so that disastrous wearing of the machine parts takes places in bearings and the like where crystallization takes place. The elimination' ofthe dbris in the delivery from the feed table 24 to the enrober belt 15 does away with this defect in operation.

The construction of this improvementis such that by slight structural changes, the

Vpresent standard apparatus may be modified to carry out the novel purposes of the inven-` tion. l Y i j It will thus be seen that there is provided A.ifi o a device in which the several objects of this invention Vare achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical A."

use. Y Y

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various u changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that'all matter herein setforth or shown in the ac-V 1. kIn 'confection coating apparatus, theV combination of an enrober havingl an opening in a wall thereof, a perforated belt in Vsaid enrober, a rollersupported externally of said and a feed table for materialto be coated,

the end of saidtable being located in line with said roller but horizontally spaced therefrom, to permit particles from the material to be coated to fall from the end of the feed table without touchingsaid belt or drop into said enrober.

2. In confection coating apparatus, the y combination of an enrober having an opening in a wall thereof, a bracket fixed to said wall at said opening, a roller carried by saidV bracket, a feed table for material to be coated, the end of said table being locatedvin line with said roller, a level adjusting member carried by said table and cooperating with said bracket member, the end of said table adjacent said roller being substantiallyY spaced from said roller in a horizontal direction to provide an opening, means for adjusting the longitudinal position of said end, and a` perforated belt for said enrober passing through said opening and around said roller, whereby only material to be coated may pass from Vsaid table to said belt, and waste material is discarded.

3. In a set-up of confection coating apparatus, including an enrober, a perforated belt overlying said enrober, and a feed table for delivering uncoated confections to the enrober, the delivery end of the table being located in line with the receiving end of said perfo-' rated belt, said ends being substantially spaced in a horizontal direction, said entire space between said ends being located beyond said enrober whereby particles from said uncoated confections will fall without entering said enrober or coming into contact with said belt.

4. In confection coating apparatus, in combination an enrober, a perforated belt in said enrober extending beyond said enrober, and a drip plate located below the extended portion of said belt forming an extension of said enrober, and a table for feeding objects to be coated to said belt, the adjacent portions of said table and belt being spaced to permit loose particles of said objects to fall thru said space without entering said enrober.

5. In confection coating apparatus, an enrober, a perforated belt in said enrober, said perforated belt extending beyond said enrober, a drip plate located below the extended portion of said belt vforming an extension of the lower edge of said opening, and a table substantially in line with said perforated belt for feeding objects to be coated to said belt, the delivery end of said table being spaced from said extended portion and said drip plate to permit particles on said objects to fall thru said space without entering said enrober.

6. In confection apparatus, an enrober, a

perforated carrier belt therefor, a roller carrying said belt, an idler for said belt, means for driving said belt and positive drive means interconnecting said roller and said idler for v tightening said belt.

Intestimony whereof we afix our signatures.

JOSEPH PICCOLO. JOI-IN W. VILLANO.

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